LIVE! Ajit Pawar denies threatening villagers with water supply cut

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April 21, 2014

23:43Ajit Pawar denies threatening villagers with water supply cut: Nationalist Congress Party leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar today denied he had threatened villagers recently that they would stop receiving water if they did not vote for NCP chief Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule.

Addressing a poll-related public meeting at Bhusawal in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, he accused the opposition of spreading false rumours, and called the allegation of threatening villagers with denial of water supply as "outlandish".

Ajit Pawar had allegedly threatened villagers recently, saying if they did not vote for Supriya Sule, who is contesting Lok Sabha elections from Baramati constituency, water supply would be denied to them.

"We have recieved that complaint and it is being examined by us," Sampath, who visted Gujarat today to take stock of election preparations, said. Congress took up the issue of Modi's marital status after he filed his nomination papers from Vadodara seat two weeks ago.

In the affidavit, Modi admitted, for the first time, that he is married and he mentioned the name of his spouse, though in all his past affidavits, he had left the relevant column blank. As soon as Modi filed his papers, Congress leader Kapil Sibal moved the Election Commissioner against Modi by alleging that he had been "hiding" facts.

Sibal claimed that Modi never revealed that he is married in all the eleven affidavits he had filed earlier.

22:18Modi is 'most searched politician' across India, says Google: BJP's prime ministerial aspirant Narendra Modi has emerged as the "most searched politician" online, not only in Maharashtra, but also across the country, followed by AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, a Google survey report said here today.

According to a survey conducted in Maharashtra, which goes to the polls on Thursday, until April 19 (for a period of 90 days), Modi is the most searched politician followed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal.

"He came to my home one day after the Telangana Bill was passed. He sat in my room and thanked Soniaji for granting statehood for Telangana. He first shook hands with me and promised to sail with me.

22:17Cyber space, a new domain of war: Antony: Against the backdrop of rising incidents of hacking of military networks, Defence Minister A K Antony today said cyber space was the new domain of war and asked top Army brass to ensure security of critical information infrastructure of the force.

He said rapid growth and dependence on information and communication networks had positioned the cyber world and space as the new domains of fighting a war.

22:09Russian foreign minister accuses Kiev of flouting Ukraine accord: Russia's foreign minister accused the interim authorities in Kiev on Monday of flagrantly violating the international accord reached last week aimed at defusing the crisis in eastern Ukraine, in remarks that suggested Russia may be further preparing the groundwork for a military intervention.

The accusations made by the foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, came as Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. arrived in Kiev in a show of support for its increasingly besieged government, which the Kremlin regards as a result of a Western-backed coup that seized power in late February after months of protests.

The apex court, which vacated its October 5, 2012 interim order suspending all mining operations on the basis of the Justice M B Shah recommendations, passed a slew of directions for the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and Goa government for strictly regulating mining activities in the state till the expert panel, set up by it, submits its final report.

20:26President says ferry crew's actions 'tantamount to murder': The captain and crew of a South Korean ferry that capsized with hundreds of children on board acted in a way "tantamount to murder," President Park Geun-Hye said today, as four more crew members were arrested and the death toll rose to 87.

Park's denunciation, in which she vowed to hold all those responsible for the disaster "criminally accountable", followed the release of a transcript showing the panic and indecision that paralysed decision-making on the bridge as the ship listed and sank Wednesday morning.

19:53Congress' only agenda is to stop me, says Modi: Ridiculing the Congress and its allies for fearing him, BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said here today that the ruling coalition is more concerned about stopping him than strategising to win the Lok Sabha election.

Addressing a rally of the Shiv Sena-BJP-RPI combine in Kalyan today, Modi said that the Congress has a singular agenda of "Modi roko" (stop Modi). "They tremble when they hear Modi's name, since they know their place after May 16," he said.

18:52BJP trying to create two Indias for corporates and poor: Rahul: In a frontal attack on BJP, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today alleged that the saffron party, which is leading the NDA, is trying to make "Hindus fight against Muslims" and also seeking to create two Indias with one for chosen business class and another for the poor. "BJP people are trying (to) make Hindus fight Muslims," Rahul said while addressing his maiden rally in this district headquarters town in Telangana, after the bill carving out a new state was passed by Parliament.

His reaction comes in the wake of the Election Commission seeking the recording of the speech made by the VHP leader in Bhavnagar in which he allegedly said that people from minority communities should be stopped from buying properties in Hindu-dominated localities

Togadia, said on Saturday evening that Muslims shouldn't be allowed to buy property in Hindu areas. The statement was made while Togadia, along with VHP and Bajranj Dal members, stood in protest outside the house owned by a Muslim businessman in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. He gave the resident 48 hours to move out of the house, which if not complied with, he suggested taking control of the house and putting a Bajranj Dal board on it.

18:30BJP rubbishes Sibal's charge against Modi: The BJP today rubbished the Congress' allegation of Narendra Modi being a "potential accused" in Tulsiram Prajapati killing case, saying it was just another "diversionary" tactic by the ruling party to "detract from real issues" in Lok Sabha elections.Follow our election tweets @RediffElections

18:18History sheeter Pappu Yavdav in Madhepura: The appointment was for sometime past half eleven, "closer to midnight will be better", so the crackly voice on the mobile phone told me. Pappu Yadav has a private number but he seldom answers it himself; a flunkey does, and depending on "saheb's' mood or who it is, hands it over or does not.Telegraph's Sankarshan Thakur meets don Pappu Yadav. Read

17:47Birbhum: 2 killed, 6 injured in a blast inside TMC leader's house:
Two people were killed and around six were injured in an explosion inside the house of a local TMC leader Shaikh Ismail in Birbhum district of West Bengal.Crude bombs were reportedly being made in the house of the local TMC leader and the incident occured under Labhpur police station area. Police officials have reached the spot and are investigating the matter.

In a bid to woo Muslim voters, Yadav said the condition of the community members was poor in the country and no political party tried to improve their situation.

Urging the people to vote for SP, he said that only his party could prevent Modi from becoming the Prime Minister of the country. Yadav reiterated that neither BJP nor Congress would get majority in the Lok Sabha elections and the Third Front, in which SP would be the largest party, would form government at the Centre.

16:38LIVE! Subrata Roy stays in jail, SC turns down Sahara's new Rs 3000 cr proposal: The Supreme Court has refused to grant bail to Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy. The apex court turned down Sahara Group's new proposal in the investors' payment case. It has now proposed to deposit Rs 3,000 crore within three days of its chief Subrata Roy's release.Sahara has also said that it will pay an additional Rs 3,000 crore by May 30 and the bank guarantee of Rs 5,000 crore by June 20. The apex court has reserved its order.

Bharati also alleged that Vadra had made money by breaking all the norms. "Just because he is the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, all the Congress ruled state governments are afraid of him.

Union ministers were also under pressure from him. He has made money by breaking all the norms," she charged here on Sunday night. "Although my party gets annoyed with me, when the power will be in my hand, I will send 'jamaibabu' to jail," Bharati said.

This is the second time this month that Bharti has made a similar statement. Bharati had alleged last week that Vadra has been involved in "several falsehood" and if the BJP comes to power at the Centre he "would go jail".

The BJP, whose prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi governs Gujarat, has yet to comment on the controversy.The VHP is a key constituent of the Sangh Parivar, an umbrella of Hindu nationalist organisations that includes the BJP.A report in the Times of India states that yesterday, Togadia said publicly in Gujarat's Bhavnagar that Muslims should be stopped from "buying properties in Hindu areas" and that a Muslim who had purchased a home on one such neighbourhood should be forced out; he allegedly urged protesters "to take complete control of the house." Read

14:47Sahara's new proposal to release Roy: Rs 3000 crore within 3 days of release: Sahara submits new proposal to the Supreme Court that it will deposit Rs 3000 crore within three days of Subrata Roy's release. Roy, facing contempt proceedings for failing to repay Rs. 20,000 crore to investors, has been in the maximum-security Tihar Jail since March 4, after he failed to appear at a hearing in a long-running legal battle between the group and market regulator Securities Exchange Board of India.

This year, India's elections are figuring prominently in the magazine's corresponding "readers poll' of the world's 100 most influential people'"a sign of the growing influence of India's internet users, a group projected to be 243 million strong by June. Read more

13:33Journo wins case against Zee News : A labour court in Mumbai has ordered the reinstatement of a woman reporter of Zee News Ltd whose services were terminated because she got pregnant. Read

Nagma was apparently referring to the controversy triggered by BJP leader Giriraj Singh after he said that "all those who are opposed to Narendra Modi should go to Pakistan.'

Bismallah Khan's family is in the news today after they rejected an offer by the BJP to become proposer for Narendra Modi when he files his nomination from Varanasi.-- Zee News

12:58The myth of the wasted vote: A vote is a tick of faith given to a particular party or candidate that the voter believes in; it is not is an endorsement of what a perceived majority might or might not want. Read

12:56SP, BSP, Cong responsible for poor plight of UP: Modi: Launching a hard-hitting attack on SP, BSP and Congress, Narendra Modi today said the "power game by the clan of three parties" is responsible for the poor plight of UP and the nation even as he ridiculed Rahul Gandhi for visiting homes of the poor like tourists who visit Taj Mahal.

Playing up his tea-vendor image, the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate also sought to contrast it with those "born with a silver spoon in their mouth" and made an oblique reference to his OBC origin as he reached to voters in the Hindi heartland. Promising to cleanse the political system and Parliament from criminal elements, Modi said that his first job after the formation of a new government will be to set up a committee to probe the pending criminal cases against MPs cutting across party lines.

"While the country has been destroyed by the governments of mother and son, Uttar Pradesh has been destroyed by a father-son government. On one hand there is a father-son duo while on the other hand is Behenji (Mayawati)... they waste their whole tenure of five years in teaching a lesson to each other.

12:16Bangalore-bound Malaysian jet pilot praised upon safe landing: Malaysia's Transport Minister has praised the pilot of a Bangalore-bound troubled Malaysia Airlines (MAS) plane that was forced to make an emergency landing early today at an airport in Kuala Lumpur for his "skillful" handling of the aircraft.

"The passengers, despite being tired, expressed their admiration for the pilot's skillful handling of the aircraft in making the emergency landing safe (at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport) without any harm to the passengers," Hishammuddin Hussein said.

"People who haven't seen the Taj Mahal take photos and share it with their friends and relatives. Similarly, Rahul bhaiya checks out poverty, gets photos taken with a poor child in his lap. When the cameras stop rolling, he dumps the child," he said. Read

11:44'Togadia should be expelled from VHP': Author, editor, columnist and publisher A Minhaz Merchant tweets: Togadia is a disgrace to India. He should be expelled from the VHP & booked for his threat to evict Muslims in Bhavnagar..

Mr Merchant is a Narendra Modi supporter. Read his latest column: Modi: Why Western media still doesnt get it

Rahul Gandhi eventually filled in for his mother, saying she was "unwell', but the last-minute change of plans meant he arrived three-and-a-half hours late for what was scheduled as a 3pm rally.

Sonia had abruptly called off her meetings in Nandurbar, Dhule and Mumbai around noon, fuelling a buzz about her health. Senior party leaders ignored questions but sources unofficially said she had developed minor complaints because of her hectic election tours.

11:3014 candidates with "nil assets" in TN poll fray: At a time when many Lok Sabha candidates are coming out with eye-popping details of their assets worth crores, 14 candidates in the poll fray in Tamil Nadu, mostly independents, have declared 'zero assets'.

They are among 845 candidates of well established political entities, among whom are 14 contestants with high liabilities of more than Rs 5 crore, as per a analysis by Association for Democratic Reforms-Tamil Nadu Election Watch.

11:24SC notice to Goa govt on Tejpal's plea, no bail yet : The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Goa Police on a bail plea of Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal, an accused in a rape case. The Tehelka Founder Editor Tarun Tejpal who has been charge sheeted for
raping a junior woman colleague in Goa last year has sought information
under Right to Information Act relating to the money spent on the
entire exercise of investigating and prosecuting him in the case.

The apex court has asked the Goa government to respond in four weeks in the case. Notwithstanding this, Tejpal will continue to remain in jail.

11:21BJP bid to undo Giriraj damage: The BJP today distanced itself from its Nawada parliamentary constituency candidate Giriraj Singh, two days after his controversial statement that Narendra Modi critics were pro-Pakistan and would be sent there after the elections.Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi today tweeted, "The BJP does not approve of irresponsible statement given by Giriraj Singh.' But he avoided repeating the same in front of reporters in the evening. Read

11:16The Delhi dilemma : By leaving it to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi to decide whether to recommend dissolution of the Delhi Assembly or not, the Supreme Court has wisely refrained from giving any direction to the constitutional authority to follow a particular course of action. Read

11:05May 5: Raja's date with 2G: Delhi court fixes May 5 for recording of statements of former Telecom Minister A Raja and 16 other accused facing trial in the 2G case.

Meanwhile, Rediff.com spent some time with Raja around the Nilgiris. Read

10:53Modi's busiest day in UP includes rally for Hema Malini: BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will campaign for party candidates on Monday in his most extensive single-day programme by addressing rallies in Hardoi, Etah, Hathras, Firozabad and Mathura. BJP leaders said among others, Mr Modi will be campaigning for Bollywood actress and party candidate from Mathura, Hema Malini.

Modi will be seeking support for the yesteryear "dream girl" at two
places in Mathura and will also address a rally for Rajveer Singh, son
of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh at Etah, SP Singh
Baghel (Firozabad).

Zee News reports: Late shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan's family has refused to be partisan to politics even as Varanasi turns hotbed of electoral ambition in the Lok Sabha polls.

Reports suggest that Khan's family members was approached by the Bharatiya Janata Party to support party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in his bid to wrest the east Uttar Pradesh seat, but they turned down the request.

Bismillah Khan's son Zamin Husain Bismillah was quoted saying that their's was a family of artists who had never indulged in political acts and refused to take sides in the hotly contested constituency.

Some BJP workers had floated the idea that Bismillah Khan's kin be a proposer for Modi when he files the nomination from Varanasi on April 24, reports said.

The 30-share barometer gained 76.30 points, or 0.34 per cent, to 22,705.14. In the previous session on Thursday, the index had gone up by 351.61 points.

Exchanges remained closed on their last trading session of the previous week on account of "Good Friday".

The National Stock Exchange index Nifty traded higher by 26.10 points, or 0.38 per cent, at 6,805.50.

Brokers said sentiments remained firm on sustained buying on the back of encouraging fourth quarter earnings posted by some bluechip companies which triggering buying.

Stocks of Reliance Industries rose by Rs 11.25, or 1.17 per cent, to Rs 970 as the company reported a marginal rise in net profit to Rs 5,631 crore in the fourth quarter ended March 31, from Rs 5,589 crore a year earlier.

The incident involving Malaysia Airlines flight MH192 from Kuala Lumpur to Bangalore was more drama for an airline already under immense pressure for answers from the public and the families of those missing from Flight 370, more than six weeks after it departed the same airport.

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Hamzah Zainuddin met with the passengers' relatives in Kuala Lumpur to talk about where to go next.

Financial assistance was discussed and family members were urged to submit a plan for consideration. He declined to elaborate further, but said a fund could possibly be set up by the government or Malaysia Airlines.

The relatives, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the meeting, saying in a statement that until they have "at least a tiny bit of concrete evidence" that the plane crashed, authorities should not try to settle the case with final payoffs.

CNN-IBN reports: BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had many more "no" votes than Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber and polled far fewer popular votes than AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in a TIME 100 list of the most influential people in the world live poll as of late Sunday.

The voting closes on April 22 and the final result will be announced on April 24.

Modi, who opinion polls project as set to take over as India's next prime minister post the ongoing general elections, had polled 'no' votes close to six, on a scale of one to 10. Bieber had polled fewer negative votes.

Malaysian Airlines reported that its Kuala Lumpur-Bangalore flight MH192 has landed safely at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 1.56 am after making an air turnback.

In a media statement issued, the Airlines said that the aircraft's right-hand landing gear malfunctioned upon takeoff and is expected to make an emergency landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at around 2 am on Monday.

Media statement released by Malaysian Airlines

Sepang, 21 April 2014: Malaysia Airlines confirms that flight MH192 that departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 10.09 pm bound for Bangalore has made an air turn back towards Kuala Lumpur. The aircraft's right-hand landing gear malfunctioned upon takeoff and is expected to make an emergency landing at KLIA at around 2 am, today.

Flight MH192, operated on the B737-800 aircraft, was scheduled to arrive in Bangalore at 11.35 pm the same day. The flight was carrying a total number of 166 people on board which include 159 passengers and 07 crew members.

Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the Airport Fire Rescue Services (AFRS) in anticipation of the landing.

When asked about her reaction on Yadav's derogatory remarks on rapes, she said that such remarks are made by lot of people and are quite common.

She further added that it happens at times.

While speaking at a rally in Moradabad, Yadav had earlier said that it was wrong to give capital punishment to rapists.

He had referred to the Shakti Mills rape cases in Mumbai where death penalty was awarded to three rape accused. Moreover, he also defended those who commit such heinous crimes and said boys err at times.